Low-performing schools get $45M in financial aid

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San Francisco school officials at O’Connell High School in the Mission District praised a $45 million windfall for poor-performing schools on Tuesday, even as school officials across the state lamented the loss of hundreds of millions of federal stimulus dollars.

The San Francisco Unified School District hopes to spend the grant from the California State Board of Education over four years on 10 of the lowest-performing schools in The City. Students and parents could be seeing more professional development, tutoring and data-driven teaching techniques.

The 10 schools that will see improved investment are Bryant Elementary, Dr. George W. Carver Elementary, Cesar Chavez Elementary, Everett Middle, Horace Mann Middle, Mission High, John Muir Elementary, John O’Connell School of Technology High and Paul Revere Elementary.

Willie Brown Jr. Academic College Preperatory school will be closing at the end of the 2010-2011 school year in order to build a new school.

The money will help implement reforms already under way that include a new structuring of the district that puts more resources into low-performing schools, according to Deputy Superintendent Richard Carranza.

“All schools will be provided with more guidance about curriculum, and our resources and support services will be focused more on the needs of the district’s lowest-performing schools through our superintendent’s zones,” Carranza said in a statement.

Help for weak schools by the numbers:

$45M Grant from state4 Years 10 Low-performing schools splitting grant1 of 10 Schools will close